Celebrities and children come together to ask for federal funding for diabetes research

WASHINGTON Nick Jonas, Mary Tyler Moore, Sugar Ray Leonard and kids with Type 1 diabetes testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on the need for Type 1 diabetes research funding.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Children's Congress involved more than 150 children and teenagers representing all 50 states. A Town Hall panel of athletes and celebrities impacted by diabetes, individual visits for each kid delegate with their senators and representatives, and a trip to visit with President Barack Obama at the White House were other highlights at the event. 

"With your help, we're making real progress towards discovery, development, and delivery of cures and significantly improving the health outcomes of people with Type 1 diabetes and its complications," said Moore, who was diagnosed as an adult, testified. "With your help, new life-changing therapies and cures will, finally, be within our reach."

The Senate hearing, "Type 1 Diabetes Research: Real Progress and Real Hope for a Cure," included testimony from Moore, Jonas, Leonard, Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and four children with Type 1 diabetes. The hearing was chaired by Senator Susan Collins.